Not Closing Sales Ep 340

In this episode, Alex discusses the nuances of salesmanship, emphasizing the importance of not just what is said, but how it is said. He introduces the 'five P's'—promotion, prospect, price, product, and process—as critical elements of a sales pipeline. However, he focuses on tone and cadence as key factors in effectively delivering a sales pitch. Using personal anecdotes and examples, Alex illustrates how subtle differences in intonation and emphasis can significantly impact the message conveyed. He suggests that sales success comes from repetition, studying 'game tape' footage, and genuine belief in the product being sold. Alex concludes that a sale is a transfer of belief, which is communicated through the conviction with which one speaks, rather than the content of the words alone.

• Communication is not only about what is said but also how it is said.
• The success of a sales pitch can hinge on the delivery as much as the content.
• Tone and cadence are crucial components of effective communication.
• The way words are emphasized can change the meaning and impact of a statement.

"If they're not closing, then it means that they may be saying the right things, but they may be saying it the wrong way."

The quote emphasizes that the issue with not closing sales may not be with the script or content but with the delivery method. The speaker suggests that the right message delivered in the wrong way can lead to unsuccessful sales.

• Promotion: Marketing the product to the right audience.
• Prospect: Identifying and targeting the correct potential customers.
• Price: Setting an appropriate price point for the product or service.
• Product: Ensuring the product or service offered is suitable.
• Process: Following a structured approach to the sale.

"So the first is the promotion for the right prospect at the right price for the right product, following the right process."

Alex outlines the five essential components that need to be aligned for a successful sales strategy. These elements are crucial for preparing the sales pipeline and ensuring each aspect is optimized for closing deals.

• Tone refers to the emotional quality or attitude conveyed through the voice.
• Cadence is the rhythm and pace at which someone speaks.
• Both tone and cadence affect how the message is received and interpreted.

"So one is tone, and the second is cadence."

Alex identifies tone and cadence as the two key components of communication that can significantly affect the success of a sales script. These elements are critical to delivering the script effectively.

• Emphasis on different words in a sentence can alter its meaning.
• Proper emphasis can convey the intended message more clearly and powerfully.
• Misplaced emphasis can lead to misunderstandings or a lack of persuasiveness.

"I didn't say he hit his wife. I didn't say he hit his wife. I didn't say he hit his wife. I didn't say he hit his wife. I didn't say he hit his wife. I didn't say he hit his wife. I didn't say he hit his wife."

Alex provides a clear example of how changing the emphasis on different words in the same sentence can change its meaning entirely. This illustrates the importance of emphasis in communication and its potential impact on the effectiveness of sales conversations.

• Tone and pauses are crucial in delivering a message effectively.
• Proper emphasis can indicate the importance of what's being said to the prospect.
• Becoming a master salesman involves learning to control the tone of voice.
• The way words are said can greatly affect the reception of the message, even if the words themselves are identical.

"Learn when to lower your voice so that what you're saying shows the prospect that it's really important."

This quote highlights the strategic use of voice modulation to emphasize the importance of a message in sales.

"So I'm slowing down what I'm saying. I'm lowering my tone so that you know that you need to pay attention to what I'm saying."

Alex is demonstrating how slowing down speech and lowering tone can command attention and convey significance.

• Repetition is key to mastering sales techniques.
• Reflecting on successful sales can help identify effective patterns and strategies.
• Watching recordings of successful pitches can reveal nuances that contribute to becoming a master salesman.
• The difference between an average and a master salesman can be subtle but significant.

"And so one of those things happens from repetition, right. You start to learn this stuff because you're like, man, I nailed that sale. What did I do?"

Alex explains that repetition and reflection on successful sales are how one learns and improves their sales technique.

"When you are hot, it, those are the videos you should watch. That's the game tape footage that you should go over and over and over again."

Alex suggests analyzing recordings of successful sales to understand and replicate what made them effective.

• Master salesmen maintain a consistent level of performance.
• They understand how to recreate successful sales experiences.
• The difference in performance between good and great salesmen is often small but critical.
• Master salesmen adapt their techniques to suit different prospects.

"The difference between a 250 batter and a 300 batter. For a baseball analogy, it's like one hit every two or three games, right. It's not a huge difference, but that's the difference between a master salesman and an average salesman is that great salesmen never get cold."

Alex uses a baseball analogy to illustrate the fine margin between average and master salesmen, emphasizing consistency and the ability to stay 'hot'.

• The podcast grows through word of mouth, without ads or sponsorships.
• Listeners are encouraged to share the podcast in the same way they discovered it.
• Sharing the podcast is seen as a way to generate good karma for entrepreneurs.

"The only way this grows is through word of mouth. And so I don't run ads, I don't do sponsorships, I don't sell anything. My only ask is that you continue to pay it forward to whoever showed you or however you found out about."

The speaker emphasizes the importance of word of mouth in growing the podcast audience and requests listeners to share it forward.

"That, it would mean the world to me and you'll throw some good karma out there for another entrepreneur."

The speaker expresses gratitude for sharing the podcast and implies that it benefits the entrepreneurial community.

• A simple tactic for improving a sales team is not explicitly detailed.
• The conversation suggests that there might be straightforward strategies to enhance a sales team's performance.

"And so, to wrap this up for you, if you have your sales team right, the easiest tactic is to"

Alex begins to introduce a tactic for sales teams but does not finish the thought, leaving the tactic unspecified.

• Conviction and confidence in sales are communicated through minor tonal shifts, pauses, and assuming the close the right way.
• Success stories and witnessing positive outcomes can boost a sales team's conviction.
• Conviction in what one is selling can be a powerful motivator and effectiveness enhancer for salespeople.

"We always closed the highest percentage on our deals when we had people finishing our program, right? Because on the days that we would finish our cohorts, our groups of clients, we'd have all these success stories that would go again after another, after another, after another."

This quote emphasizes the impact of success stories on a sales team's performance, suggesting that witnessing the positive results of their work can significantly increase their conviction and effectiveness in sales.

• Becoming a master salesman involves repetition and studying game tape footage.
• Analyzing past performance helps identify effective sales techniques and areas for improvement.

"Number one is that you become a master salesman. You become a master salesman through repetition and through studying game tape footage, which is the first thing I said."

The quote outlines the first method to improve sales effectiveness, which is to practice and review past sales interactions to refine skills and techniques.

• Belief in the product is crucial for effective salesmanship.
• Business owners may struggle with this due to awareness of their product's imperfections.
• Accepting that no product is perfect, but intentions can be, helps maintain belief in what one is selling.

"The second way and the faster way of doing this is to believe in what you sell."

This quote introduces the second method to improve sales effectiveness, which is fostering a genuine belief in the product being sold.

• Products will never be perfect, but salespeople can strive for perfect intentions.
• Having perfect intentions involves a commitment to continuous improvement and a focus on the customer's best interest.

"I will never have a perfect product. And I'll tell you that right now. But I can have perfect intentions."

The quote underscores the distinction between striving for a perfect product, which is unattainable, and aiming for perfect intentions, which is a realistic and valuable goal for anyone in sales.

• Knowing that the customer will be better served by your product than any competitor's is key to selling with conviction.
• This belief is particularly pertinent in industries where personal development or skill acquisition is involved.

"You may not be perfect, but you can believe that you are the absolute best shot that this person has to be successful."

This quote captures the essence of competitive advantage in sales, which is the belief that, despite imperfections, one's product or service is the best option available for the customer's success.

• Recognizing and fixing intentions is crucial for effective communication.
• Conviction is communicated through the subtleties of how something is said, not just the content.
• Belief in the product's efficacy is essential; it must be seen as the best chance for success.
• Guaranteeing outcomes is not possible due to uncontrollable variables.
• A salesperson's conviction in their product can overcome statistics about customer behavior.
• The conviction allows for speaking with assurance and influencing prospects positively.

"If you can fix your intentions to know that your intentions are perfect, then that is going to be a huge step forward that you'll have over your competition, because then it will force you. It will cause you to say the things the right way, because people can feel conviction."

This quote emphasizes the importance of intentionality in sales. If a salesperson is certain their intentions are aligned with the customer's best interests, this sincerity will be communicated in their speech, giving them an advantage over competitors.

"You can't say, I guarantee that you're going to lose weight. I can't say, I'll guarantee that you're going to make more money because you can't, because you can't control the variables, but you can guarantee that you will be the best shot that this person has at being successful."

Alex explains that while specific outcomes cannot be guaranteed due to external factors, a salesperson can and should express confidence that their product or service offers the best opportunity for success.

"I knew that in six months, half the people who were signing up weren't going to be at the gym. I knew that, right? But the thing is, I can't look at someone and say, like, well, you know what? Maybe they shouldn't sign up because, I mean, half the people aren't going, aren't going to show up within six months."

Here, Alex acknowledges the reality of customer attrition but chooses to focus on the potential success each individual customer can achieve with the right mindset and product, reinforcing the need for conviction in their offering.

"But once you are actually on the phone with the person, fundamentally, mentally, a sale is simply a transfer of belief. And if you do not believe, then you cannot transfer that belief. And the way that you communicate belief is not in what you say, but how you say it's."

Alex concludes that sales is fundamentally about transferring belief from the salesperson to the prospect. The conviction behind the message is more critical than the words used, and belief cannot be transferred without genuine belief in the product or service.

• A range of factors contribute to sales performance, including promotion, offer, process, price, and the prospect.
• The salesperson's belief in the product is critical when communicating with a prospect.
• The transfer of belief is essential in making a sale.
• The effectiveness of communication is determined by the conviction with which it is delivered.

"If you are not selling or your team is not selling the way you want it, it is not necessarily because the words you are saying, sure, it's all the other things that I said, the promotion, the offer that you're running, right? The process that you're taking them through, the price that you're selling at, who you are selling to, the prospect themselves, all of those things are going to be things that are going to weigh into whether or not it's successful."

This quote lists the various factors that can impact sales effectiveness, suggesting that success is not solely dependent on the sales script but also on the overall sales strategy and execution.